FiftyyearsaroverJust been watching sky transfer news a lot of League 1and 2 doing business some getting 2/3 in .its been a spiffing start for a club who are talking about getting back to we’re we should be ,3good players gone including our top goal scorer and no replacements .not impressed at all .i still have doubts about Mellon we need a settled team not Loanees who come and go ,it’s a nonsense that the players are not about ,most other clubs can find what they need .Lincoln just signed a young guy from a none League side I have never heard of he must be ok for Lincoln to sign him .they are about .everyone knew Cook was Leaving and still no replacement 3 months on .i hope he does not have cause to regret not strengthening the team for the new challenges ahead .if Norwood Leaves or is injured we are goosed.i know it sounds stupid not being happy with Mellon after getting us back in the FL but his signings have been less than inspiring and his refusal to give youth a chance Dunn and Clarke prime examples. who are at Walsall League one. Alabi say no more Waring say no more .kept Mangan to Long .and don’t get me going on Wallace .to get us we’re we should be we need the likes of Coleman at Accrington or Askey at Shrewsbury

Going to be honest with you buddy, that seems like an awful lot considering nothing bad was said 3 months when he lifted the promotion final trophy.

He was doubted by the majority in October last season and look how that panned out, we've had one game and he has lost Ollie aswell as us fans. Give the guy a chance to do his job because that's the least he deserves after where we are now.

Except that there may be consequences from that poor period.possibly Cooks disenchantment, possibly the fact that restructuring the team by loans and additions to offset poor signings may have meant more money was spent than originally planned and this may be having a knock on impact now as we struggle to compete with other clubs.Mellon deserves credit for engineering that restructuring and Wembley was his finest hour for win or lose he showed courage in making decisive decisions in the course of the game. What is less certain at this stage is his acumen in the summer transfer markets. Last year was poor and this summer he has failed to find a replacement for Cook.His signings may end up being fine but it is far from unreasonable to have doubts about this aspect of his management.

DevonExileExcept that there may be consequences from that poor period.possibly Cooks disenchantment, possibly the fact that restructuring the team by loans and additions to offset poor signings may have meant more money was spent than originally planned and this may be having a knock on impact now as we struggle to compete with other clubs.Mellon deserves credit for engineering that restructuring and Wembley was his finest hour for win or lose he showed courage in making decisive decisions in the course of the game. What is less certain at this stage is his acumen in the summer transfer markets. Last year was poor and this summer he has failed to find a replacement for Cook.His signings may end up being fine but it is far from unreasonable to have doubts about this aspect of his management.

Whilst I respect your opinion it’s not based on reality, Cook has not left because of Micky Mellon, Cook left because we are not a big club. Being attached to the past must be a Merseyside thing. We’ve spent 3 years in Non League, we have no money, the lad wants to test himself at the highest possible level, Walsall have recruited well and will be selling themselves as contenders for promotion to the Championship, Rovers are never going to make the Championship, we are back where we belong, aside for a small time during the early to mid nineties we are 4th tier club who sits on the edge of bankruptcy. No one will ever invest us because there is no hope for development, Everton and Liverpool are a mile away. I fancy we had sufficent funds to throw mass wages at them and convince them that in 2 years time we would be Cha,lion ship side we may well have kept hold of them. Cook I said probaly fully aware Walsall will not get promoted but he will see his own challenge as to bang in the goals and convince a lower tier Championship side or one promoted from League 1 he is worth a bash, same to an extent with Norburn although I suspect Shrews have a realistic chance of a promotion berth. Had we stated in the NL only the mainstand was to be open this season, that’s where the club are financially, staying in this division would be a massive achievement for Micky, the club and the owners and I fear it will be undermined by over expectation.

DevonExileExcept that there may be consequences from that poor period.possibly Cooks disenchantment, possibly the fact that restructuring the team by loans and additions to offset poor signings may have meant more money was spent than originally planned and this may be having a knock on impact now as we struggle to compete with other clubs.Mellon deserves credit for engineering that restructuring and Wembley was his finest hour for win or lose he showed courage in making decisive decisions in the course of the game. What is less certain at this stage is his acumen in the summer
transfer markets. Last year was poor and this summer he has failed to find a replacement for Cook.His signings may end up being fine but it is far from unreasonable to have doubts about this aspect of his management.

Whilst I respect your opinion it’s not based on reality, Cook has not left because of Micky Mellon, Cook left because we are not a big club. Being attached to the past must be a Merseyside thing. We’ve spent 3 years in Non League, we have no money, the lad wants to test himself at the highest possible level, Walsall have recruited well and will be selling themselves as contenders for promotion to the Championship, Rovers are never going to make the Championship, we are back where we belong, aside for a small time during the early to mid nineties we are 4th tier club who sits on the edge of bankruptcy. No one will ever invest us because there is no hope for development, Everton and Liverpool are a mile away. I fancy we had sufficent funds to throw mass wages at them and convince them that in 2 years time we would be Cha,lion ship side we may well have kept hold of them. Cook I said probaly fully aware Walsall will not get promoted but he will see his own challenge as to bang in the goals and convince a lower tier Championship side or one promoted from League 1 he is worth a bash, same to an extent with Norburn although I suspect Shrews have a realistic chance of a promotion berth. Had we stated in the NL only the mainstand was to be open this season, that’s where the club are financially, staying in this division would be a massive achievement for Micky, the club and the owners and I fear it will be undermined by over expectation.

Higgo you are probably right that Cookie (and Clarke) would have left anyways but 50's and my thinking is that MM's treatment of both of them absolutely 100% guaranteed they would leave. That is the issue, that plus his atrocious signings last year of Alabi who at least we got rid of and Waring who clearly nobody wants and has not even been given a run out in pre- season plus the others like Rokka etc. who never figured...and as Devon says this meant we had to spend precious money bringing in loan signings like DMH etc. so financially we are worse off than we should have been. Yes it's early days yet but Mullin and Cole don't thrill a lot of the fans and as pointed out by 50 if Norwood gets injured we are very very light up front never mind midfield...plus we brought in George when Davies was fit again so we are carrying 4 keepers wages now - why?
Yes we may be financially challenged but MM does not inspire confidence in his transfer dealings and to my mind never has since he has been here.

DevonExileExcept that there may be consequences from that poor period.possibly Cooks disenchantment, possibly the fact that restructuring the team by loans and additions to offset poor signings may have meant more money was spent than originally planned and this may be having a knock on impact now as we struggle to compete with other clubs.Mellon deserves credit for engineering that restructuring and Wembley was his finest hour for win or lose he showed courage in making decisive decisions in the course of the game. What is less certain at this stage is his acumen in the summer
transfer markets. Last year was poor and this summer he has failed to find a replacement for Cook.His signings may end up being fine but it is far from unreasonable to have doubts about this aspect of his management.

Whilst I respect your opinion it’s not based on reality, Cook has not left because of Micky Mellon, Cook left because we are not a big club. Being attached to the past must be a Merseyside thing. We’ve spent 3 years in Non League, we have no money, the lad wants to test himself at the highest possible level, Walsall have recruited well and will be selling themselves as contenders for promotion to the Championship, Rovers are never going to make the Championship, we are back where we belong, aside for a small time during the early to mid nineties we are 4th tier club who sits on the edge of bankruptcy. No one will ever invest us because there is no hope for development, Everton and Liverpool are a mile away. I fancy we had sufficent funds to throw mass wages at them and convince them that in 2 years time we would be Cha,lion ship side we may well have kept hold of them. Cook I said probaly fully aware Walsall will not get promoted but he will see his own challenge as to bang in the goals and convince a lower tier Championship side or one promoted from League 1 he is worth a bash, same to an extent with Norburn although I suspect Shrews have a realistic chance of a promotion berth. Had we stated in the NL only the mainstand was to be open this season, that’s where the club are financially, staying in this division would be a massive achievement for Micky, the club and the owners and I fear it will be undermined by over expectation.

Utter tripe.

You only have to listen to the 1st question in his pre match...How important is it to make PP a fortress for your battle in promotion?

ADDHiggo you are probably right that Cookie (and Clarke) would have left anyways but 50's and my thinking is that MM's treatment of both of them absolutely 100% guaranteed they would leave. That is the issue, that plus his atrocious signings last year of Alabi who at least we got rid of and Waring who clearly nobody wants and has not even been given a run out in pre- season plus the others like Rokka etc. who never figured...and as Devon says this meant we had to spend precious money bringing in loan signings like DMH etc. so financially we are worse off than we should have been. Yes it's early days yet but Mullin and Cole don't thrill a lot of the fans and as pointed out by 50 if Norwood gets injured we are very very light up front never mind midfield...plus we brought in George when Davies was fit again so we are carrying 4 keepers wages now - why?
Yes we may be financially challenged but MM does not inspire confidence in his transfer dealings and to my mind never has since he has been here.

I would except that a target Man UTD or Liverpool but, it’s Tranmere, we have no money, unless you have a better understanding of signings in Non league football and can explain what he should have done, I think they were all really good signings, wether they work out or not is another matter.

Alabi, not worked with by MM before but scored 17 goals in a mid table over performing side. Big, strong, powerful, quick and athletic, everything we needed.

Waring, Worked with Micky before at Shrewsbury, signed at Stoke by Mark Hughes, big strong, target man. May yet still work out for the club.

Cole: worked with Micky before, played league football before, recruited to the club when we were much higher up the ladder, scored more games to goal ratio than Cook 3 seasons, drove our playoff challenge. Signed by an SPL team must have something to offer.

Mullin, quite obviously signed as a bench warmer with experience, to do a job, more than likely to come on when we are a goal up and under the cosh to act as an outlet hold it up and be a nuisance relieving pressure at the back.

Signing players on a small budget at this level is like choosing a quality street at Christmas, open the lid and did around hoping to find the purple one, if your budget is small and you can’t match wage demands then your left digging around with the toffee pennies hoping someone missed the caramel keg against all that yellow.

Spot on Devon .wembley was a dream day ,the players where awesome and the SWA brilliant and Mellon got his tactics spot on but one swallow does not make a summer .the bottom Line is his recruitment Leaves a lot to be desired .he does not realise you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear .he has done well with Smith and Banks ,.but we need someone who can get goals ,we had one of the best and he left because he thought and was badly treated .Dunn ,Clarke the same

FiftyyearsaroverSpot on Devon .wembley was a dream day ,the players where awesome and the SWA brilliant and Mellon got his tactics spot on but one swallow does not make a summer .the bottom Line is his recruitment Leaves a lot to be desired .he does not realise you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear .he has done well with Smith and Banks ,.but we need someone who can get goals ,we had one of the best and he left because he thought and was badly treated .Dunn ,Clarke the same

Why do you insist on peddling this nonsense that Cook left because he thought he was badly treated? You don't have a shred of evidence. The player himself has explained why he left and his reason sounds far more plausible than this groundless conspiracy theory. And if it wasn't for Mellon's tough approach a year ago to his mobility and fitness I doubt Cook would be anywhere near League 1 this season. Something Cook himself surely recognises now.

The bottom line isn't that MM's recruitment leaves a lot to be desired or that one swallow makes a summer. The bottom line is two 2nd place finishes, a promotion, and steady ongoing improvement in the performances of individual players and the team as a whole. Even now, the squad - which the club itself acknowledges is not yet complete - has more quality than last season's. It's a work in progress but we're going the right way, slowly but surely. But don't let reality get in the way of an excuse for a good moan.

Its completely irrelevant if some of MM's signings have not worked out. AS WE GOT PROMOTED. I couldn't give two figs if one or two signings didn't work out this season if that happened again, id actually want to marry Micky Mellon. All clubs make signings that dont work out, we are just lucky that we are not paying 20 million for it not to work out, we get players for FREE !, and then normally sell them for a FEE. For the 3 seasons we were in the NL we finished 6th, 2nd and 2nd again, had 2 Wembley finals and in the First season we didn't make it it you recall we finished on 78 points, only 4 points less than this season, that was a freak points season, and stats like that say we are good enough to be back in the League.

I don't recall whilst watching Transfer Deadline day on Sky sports yesterday, ANY CLUB in league 2 making massive signings, in fact there was only one or two signings in total for the whole league! this would suggest the majority of the clubs we are in competition with are in exactly the same boat as we are financially! except for maybe one or two. This makes us competitive with the other clubs, so why cant we finish high up? we are on the back of a promotion and the club is seeping positivity We are lucky to have astute business people at our helm, and not just fat cat chairmen out to make a quick bit of fun with their football club toy. We are actually turning a profit!, this is what we want. And also with a top third budget, i completely trust in the Pali, we are being especially careful not to rush into a signing of a new striker as probably we realized they can flop big time (ALABI). This is fine, we scored 2 goals on Saturday and what i witnessed was that we could of scored more. We have a fine midfield this season, decent defense with probably one of the best Center backs we have had ever in Mcnulty. Who will likely go on to be a fine coach with us to boot. All we are missing is possibly another two Strikers and maybe a replacement for Norburn as cover (i think Banks is better anyway) so not too much of a panic. We could easy take one or two Strikers on loan, i'm pretty sure of that, trial them until Jan window opens and then possibly even keep him in January if hes any good.

And just because our history shows we have been in lower leagues, does not mean we cannot progress, it means nothing, a club with no history can start from nothing and achieve, Forest Green, MK Dons, etc.. are examples of that. The 10 - 15 years in the higher leagues knocking on the prem door, League cup final and FA cup mega runs, shows as a club we are more than capable of holding our own in the modern football world. Yes we will likely need investment as we travel back to the Championship, but as we do we will in due course be more attractive to investors, the people of Wirral will back us as they get more tired of what the Prem league has become. People can actually afford to go to Tranmere and kids get in for £5, there is no reason why we cant get attendances up past 10k again when in the Championship. We also are the first UK club to build alliance with China, that is bound to have fruition eventually. Wirral has a large population and is full of people who are proud to be from Wirral "we are not scousers we are from Birkenhead", we took 15k all the way down to Wembley in consecutive seasons, and sure we took around 30k when we made the League cup final back in 2000. The potential is there. If a club like Bournemouth with average attendances of 11k can hold there own in the Prem, there is no reason at all we cant do the same in the Championship.

TranmereFanIts completely irrelevant if some of MM's signings have not worked out. AS WE GOT PROMOTED. I couldn't give two figs if one or two signings didn't work out this season if that happened again, id actually want to marry Micky Mellon. All clubs make signings that dont work out, we are just lucky that we are not paying 20 million for it not to work out, we get players for FREE !, and then normally sell them for a FEE. For the 3 seasons we were in the NL we finished 6th, 2nd and 2nd again, had 2 Wembley finals and in the First season we didn't make it it you recall we finished on 78 points, only 4 points less than this season, that was a freak points season, and stats like that say we are good enough to be back in the League.
I don't recall whilst watching Transfer Deadline day on Sky sports yesterday, ANY CLUB in league 2 making massive signings, in fact there was only one or two signings in total for the whole league! this would suggest the majority of the clubs we are in competition with are in exactly the same boat as we are financially! except for maybe one or two. This makes us competitive with the other clubs, so why cant we finish high up? we are on the back of a promotion and the club is seeping positivity We are lucky to have astute business people at our helm, and not just fat cat chairmen out to make a quick bit of fun with their football club toy. We are actually turning a profit!, this is what we want. And also with a top third budget, i completely trust in the Pali, we are being especially careful not to rush into a signing of a new striker as probably we realized they can flop big time (ALABI). This is fine, we scored 2 goals on Saturday and what i witnessed was that we could of scored more. We have a fine midfield this season, decent defense with probably one of the best Center backs we have had ever in Mcnulty. Who will likely go on to be a fine coach with us to boot. All we are missing is possibly another two Strikers and maybe a replacement for Norburn as cover (i think Banks is better anyway) so not too much of a panic. We could easy take one or two Strikers on loan, i'm pretty sure of that, trial them until Jan window opens and then possibly even keep him in January if hes any good.

And just because our history shows we have been in lower leagues, does not mean we cannot progress, it means nothing, a club with no history can start from nothing and achieve, Forest Green, MK Dons, etc.. are examples of that. The 10 - 15 years in the higher leagues knocking on the prem door, League cup final and FA cup mega runs, shows as a club we are more than capable of holding our own in the modern football world. Yes we will likely need investment as we travel back to the Championship, but as we do we will in due course be more attractive to investors, the people of Wirral will back us as they get more tired of what the Prem league has become. People can actually afford to go to Tranmere and kids get in for £5, there is no reason why we cant get attendances up past 10k again when in the Championship. We also are the first UK club to build alliance with China, that is bound to have fruition eventually. Wirral has a large population and is full of people who are proud to be from Wirral "we are not scousers we are from Birkenhead", we took 15k all the way down to Wembley in consecutive seasons, and sure we took around 30k when we made the League cup final back in 2000. The potential is there. If a club like Bournemouth with average attendances of 11k can hold there own in the Prem, there is no reason at all we cant do the same in the Championship.

FiftyyearsaroverJust been watching sky transfer news a lot of League 1and 2 doing business some getting 2/3 in .its been a spiffing start for a club who are talking about getting back to we’re we should be ,3good players gone including our top goal scorer and no replacements .not impressed at all .i still have doubts about Mellon we need a settled team not Loanees who come and go ,it’s a nonsense that the players are not about ,most other clubs can find what they need .Lincoln just signed a young guy from a none League side I have never heard of he must be ok for Lincoln to sign him .they are about .everyone knew Cook was Leaving and still no replacement 3 months on .i hope he does not have cause to regret not strengthening the team for the new challenges ahead .if Norwood Leaves or is injured we are goosed.i know it sounds stupid not being happy with Mellon after getting us back in the FL but his signings have been less than inspiring and his refusal to give youth a chance Dunn and Clarke prime examples. who are at Walsall League one. Alabi say no more Waring say no more .kept Mangan to Long .and don’t get me going on Wallace .to get us we’re we should be we need the likes of Coleman at Accrington or Askey at Shrewsbury

Going to be honest with you buddy, that seems like an awful lot considering nothing bad was said 3 months when he lifted the promotion final trophy.

He was doubted by the majority in October last season and look how that panned out, we've had one game and he has lost Ollie aswell as us fans. Give the guy a chance to do his job because that's the least he deserves after where we are now.

I saw only 2 friendlies-at Warrington and Chorley. Norburn seemed to be playing at a different level to the rest. I thought at first that it was at a much higher level than the rest. Now he's gone and he says that the interest was there from the start of pre season makes me think that the reason he stood out was mentally-he was playing for himself not the team. He stood out yes-but in a strange sort of way. Having said that,I wish him well at Shrewsbury.

DevonExileExcept that there may be consequences from that poor period.possibly Cooks disenchantment, possibly the fact that restructuring the team by loans and additions to offset poor signings may have meant more money was spent than originally planned and this may be having a knock on impact now as we struggle to compete with other clubs.Mellon deserves credit for engineering that restructuring and Wembley was his finest hour for win or lose he showed courage in making decisive decisions in the course of the game. What is less certain at this stage is his acumen in the summer
transfer markets. Last year was poor and this summer he has failed to find a replacement for Cook.His signings may end up being fine but it is far from unreasonable to have doubts about this aspect of his management.

Whilst I respect your opinion it’s not based on reality, Cook has not left because of Micky Mellon, Cook left because we are not a big club. Being attached to the past must be a Merseyside thing. We’ve spent 3 years in Non League, we have no money, the lad wants to test himself at the highest possible level, Walsall have recruited well and will be selling themselves as contenders for promotion to the Championship, Rovers are never going to make the Championship, we are back where we belong, aside for a small time during the early to mid nineties we are 4th tier club who sits on the edge of bankruptcy. No one will ever invest us because there is no hope for development, Everton and Liverpool are a mile away. I fancy we had sufficent funds to throw mass wages at them and convince them that in 2 years time we would be Cha,lion ship side we may well have kept hold of them. Cook I said probaly fully aware Walsall will not get promoted but he will see his own challenge as to bang in the goals and convince a lower tier Championship side or one promoted from League 1 he is worth a bash, same to an extent with Norburn although I suspect Shrews have a realistic chance of a promotion berth. Had we stated in the NL only the mainstand was to be open this season, that’s where the club are financially, staying in this division would be a massive achievement for Micky, the club and the owners and I fear it will be undermined by over expectation.

rossb07Are we really bringing up the 'Cook was mis-treated' card again just because we didn't sign someone yesterday?
I'll go along with it if you find me just one credible (aka from the horse's mouth) bit of info that he was.

I like you guys but bringing this nonsense up is what starts a toxic vibe around the club. This season especially is not what's needed...

Edit: Have seen the 2 above posts, i don't think anyone could put it any better chaps.

I know, they wouldn’t want to let reality get in the way of a good old manager barracking. Bloody Micky, Bloody owners, never mind we actually have a decent side. CF has cored two already

The key point is not about Cook.It was about MMs record in close season recuitment.Last year was poor and it cost to undertake the required reconstruction and yes that outlay was justified by the outcome. Extra spending at one point has implications for a club,rightly seeking to keep the books balanced.
The point Fifty was making is that doubts remain about the quality of Mellons recuitment and these will only be answered as the early season unfolds.
So often any element of critique gets inflated into an argument about Tranmere's financial position and our natural habitat. Since the restructuring of the league in 1958 we have spent more years above Div 4 than in it.Either division1 or 2 falls into our natural territory.
MM has had to tackle the decay arising from a decade without direction and plan during the latter period of the PJ era.He has done an amazing job in restructuring our finances.The period in the national represents unnatural territory in terms of our support base.
We are well run but not awash with money.The latter is common to most clubs in Div 2 and a fair few in Div I.Fiscal acumen of the sort shown by MM is rarer at both levels.The fact remains that in terms of turnover and support base we are as well placed as most teams at this level and certainly on a par with teams like Accrington,Exeter,Wycombe and others that have been competitive.
I do not expect promotion this year, but I do believe that it is reasonable to expect us to be competitive and that means that in general terms we have the potential for promotion.
Yes the two Liverpool clubs are on our doorstep but most NW clubs face the lure of premiership teams.Some posters seem to suggest that we are financially akin to Morecambe,Newport,and even Macclesfield. Their base means that league survival is an achievement.
With success our potential matches that of clubs like Walsall,Colchester and Shrewsbury.Ofcourse we are a small club but we are not as small as some of our posters seem to suggest.Many managers have produced success with no better a base than ours.MM does not need to be a miracle worker for us to be competitive.What could be bleaker than seeing the struggles of our last 3 league seasons as the natural territory for Tranmere.We were there not because we are small but because we were appallingly run.

The key point is not about Cook.It was about MMs record in close season recuitment.Last year was poor and it cost to undertake the required reconstruction and yes that outlay was justified by the outcome. Extra spending at one point has implications for a club,rightly seeking to keep the books balanced.
The point Fifty was making is that doubts remain about the quality of Mellons recuitment and these will only be answered as the early season unfolds.
So often any element of critique gets inflated into an argument about Tranmere's financial position and our natural habitat. Since the restructuring of the league in 1958 we have spent more years above Div 4 than in it.Either division1 or 2 falls into our natural territory.
MM has had to tackle the decay arising from a decade without direction and plan during the latter period of the PJ era.He has done an amazing job in restructuring our finances.The period in the national represents unnatural territory in terms of our support base.
We are well run but not awash with money.The latter is common to most clubs in Div 2 and a fair few in Div I.Fiscal acumen of the sort shown by MM is rarer at both levels.The fact remains that in terms of turnover and support base we are as well placed as most teams at this level and certainly on a par with teams like Accrington,Exeter,Wycombe and others that have been competitive.
I do not expect promotion this year, but I do believe that it is reasonable to expect us to be competitive and that means that in general terms we have the potential for promotion.
Yes the two Liverpool clubs are on our doorstep but most NW clubs face the lure of premiership teams.Some posters seem to suggest that we are financially akin to Morecambe,Newport,and even Macclesfield. Their base means that league survival is an achievement.
With success our potential matches that of clubs like Walsall,Colchester and Shrewsbury.Ofcourse we are a small club but we are not as small as some of our posters seem to suggest.Many managers have produced success with no better a base than ours.MM does not need to be a miracle worker for us to be competitive.What could be bleaker than seeing the struggles of our last 3 league seasons as the natural territory for Tranmere.We were there not because we are small but because we were appallingly run.

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